We must REALLY like amusement parks. It was an 80 mile drive to get to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL. It WAS a Sunday so traffic wouldn't be an issue, but still...
It seems like we weren't the only ones who were looking for Sunday Thrills. The crowds were large and the lines were long, but the thrills were worth it.
We paid $5 extra each and got Season Passes for 2015 for ALL of the Six Flags parks across the USA. Score. Killer deal. We are on our way to their St Louis AND San Antonio parks so we'll get in free to those.
Their newest roller coaster is called Goliath. It was designed and built by Rocky Mountain Construction in Idaho. I think this is their first design. Their other coaster work has been to retrofit old coasters with their new track. This could very well be the best coaster we've ever ridden.
The wait was over an hour but worth it. The first drop from the 165' lift hill was at an angle of 85 degrees - almost vertical. It went right into a tunnel that added 15' to the drop. The first turnaround was performed sideways with the side of the coaster car facing the ground.
After such a long wait we needed to eat lunch before moving on to the next ride. We split a Johnny Rocket burger and moved on to a racing coaster. Two trains, two tracks. Get them to the top of the lift hill and let them race down and back.
There is a type of coaster called X-Wing coasters that are so smooth and so exciting and have such good elements that you could ride these over and over again and never get tired of it and just be happy all day long.
Their's was called X Flight and it turned out to be our 2nd favorite coaster in the park (Goliath is THAT good). Here's a picture. You don't sit on the track. You sit alongside the track with your feet dangling below you. It gives you the feeling of having no support as you fly around the ride. This is the first drop.
In this shot the coaster is moving from right to left. The people in the rear are nearly flat. The ones up front are sideways. The Tower has a vertical slot through it and the train has to turn on it's side in order to get through, otherwise all the people crash into the tower and die. It is so much FUN!
The park wasn't getting any less crowded by 2pm but we still had about 4 more coasters we needed to ride. An old school wooden twister, Raging Bull, was next as we made our way back to the front of the park.
We processed our Season Passes and headed for two more coasters near the front of the park...Superman and Batman...a pair of dynamic duos. Almost.
Superman is called a flying coaster. You get strapped into a seat like a ski lift but then you get tipped forward and down so that all your weight is on your chest and your shins. You are now facing the ground. Up the lift you go and then you are flying like Superman with no track under you. It is a wonderful feeling and the most exciting way to ride a coaster.
That's Karen closest to the camera.
Batman was a normal Wild Mouse ride inside of a building. Pretty boring.
Eventually we headed back to the front of the park again to ride the double-decker Carousel. While we were waiting to get on, the Zombies were in a parade which signaled it was "their time" to come on stage.
Since neither of us are fans of being scared we rode the carousel, took some more pictures of the fountain, took pictures of the carousel, and left the park.
Dinner was at Wendy's and across the street was a Disney Outlet Store. So, we went shopping and Karen found a lovely Route 66 Carsland Sweatshirt. Perfect ending to the day.
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